πλάσσω

ποιέω poiéō · G4160 · to do, to perform, to practice

ποιέω is the general Greek verb for making or creating, often used interchangeably with πλάσσω in contexts of divine formation (e.g., both can describe God's creative activity), though ποιέω is broader and lacks the specific tactile molding/shaping connotation of πλάσσω.

μορφόω morphóō · G3445 · to form the nature of

μορφόω refers to forming or shaping with emphasis on giving form or shape to something, semantically very close to πλάσσω but focusing more on the resulting form/shape (μορφή) rather than the molding process itself.

יָצַר yâtsar · H3335 · to form, to fashion, to frame

יָצַר is the standard Hebrew verb for forming or shaping, especially used of God forming humanity from clay (Gen 2:7-8) and the potter shaping vessels (Jer 18:2-6), making it the direct functional equivalent of πλάσσω in translation contexts where molding/forming is in view (e.g., Rom 9:20 LXX pottery imagery parallels Jeremiah's Hebrew יָצַר).

To form, to fashion, to make, to mold42.31

πλάσσω describes shaping or fashioning something, especially in the account of humanity's creation. Paul appeals to the order of creation: “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13).

To form, to mold58.11

The same verb can also be used of God's shaping of a created being more generally. Paul's answer to an imagined objector uses this same image: “The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it?” (Romans 9:20, where the underlying verb also supplies the participle rendered “molded”).

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

Also from the root πλάσσω

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.